That’s when the former Durham, North Carolina, resident stumbled onto the annual Beaver Queen Pageant, “a wildly campy, dam-important celebration of queer joy, eco-love, and over-the-top critter cosplay” held in the city for the past two decades. The raucous, homegrown drag competition, with its blend of high drama and low stakes, proved to be the perfect subject for the filmmaker, who joined 91����Ƶ’s Visual and Communication Arts (VACA) Department this year as assistant professor of digital media.

Her latest film, the heartwarming and quirky Once Upon a Wetland (2025), won “Best Documentary Short” at BEYOND: The Cary Film Festival (North Carolina) in mid-September, where it competed against short films from around the world. The 15-minute documentary follows first-time contestants Madam Bitey White, a charismatic performer and trivia host, and 16-year-old Ginger Bite-Dis, the youngest competitor, as they prepare for and compete in the 2023 Beaver Queen Pageant. The film offers a playful and poignant look at how local traditions provide space for defiance, connection, and collective care during a time of looming anti-LGBTQ legislation and tightening drag restrictions.

“This is a film that highlights joy,” said Miller-Derstine. “It’s about the hope we find when we gather together.”

The pageant’s castorine contestants take on beaver personalities, introduce themselves in their handcrafted “wetlands-ready wear,” showcase unique talents, and participate in interviews in their finest evening wear. The website notes that Beav Aldrin, the 2015 Queen, performed an aerial routine on silks, while the 2012 Queen, Furrah Gnawsett-Major, played the Star Wars theme on clarinet while hula-hooping.

The documentary was shown during a weeklong theatrical run at New York City’s Firehouse Cinema in May as part of DCTV’s “Road to the Oscars” Academy-qualifying initiative, which makes it eligible for consideration and potential nomination in the Academy Awards’ “Best Documentary Short Film” category.

It will be screened at the in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, the weekend of Nov. 7, and the in Wilmington, North Carolina, the weekend of Nov. 21. Although the film isn’t currently available to watch outside of film festivals, Miller-Derstine said she’s seeking an online distributor to stream the film.

Once Upon a Wetland was directed by Miller-Derstine, produced by her and Ian Robertson Kibbe, and edited by Ace McColl.

91����Ƶ the professor

Miller-Derstine grew up in Dhaka, Bangladesh, and moved to Lancaster at age nine. She graduated from Goshen College in 2016 with a BA in communication (film concentration) and English writing, and earned an MFA in documentary film from Wake Forest University in 2023.

She served as multimedia producer for Mennonite Central Committee from 2016 to 2021, and spent the past year as an adjunct professor in filmmaking at Davidson College. The Mennonite-raised filmmaker said she had “heard through the grapevine” that longtime VACA Professor Jerry Holsopple would retire at the end of the 2024-25 academic year and jumped at the opportunity when the job opened. Now in her second month on 91����Ƶ’s faculty, she said she’s found a welcoming community to call home. 

“I love 91����Ƶ,” she said. “I fully appreciate that we have a Center for Justice and Peacebuilding and that the university’s priorities are rooted in values of community, peace, and the greater social good.”

Miller-Derstine approaches all her work with a deep commitment to ethical storytelling and an awareness of the extractive history of the documentary field. She has won multiple awards for her films, including Best Director for her documentary short Welcome to the Dollhouse (2020) at both the Atlanta DocuFest and Hoosier Films Festival, and Best Documentary at the LongLeaf Film Festival for her feature documentary Bloom (2024).

As a native of Waterloo, Ontario, 91����Ƶ sophomore Willem Hedrick ’27 often hears the same question: “Why would you choose to attend a university in the U.S. when tuition is so much cheaper in Canada?” people ask him. 

The answer is that 91����Ƶ isn’t just any university. Its unparalleled emphasis on academic excellence, peace & justice, and active faith was the unique blend of values that Hedrick was looking for in a school. 91����Ƶ’s robust Visual and Communication Arts (VACA) department, its small class sizes and personalized approach to hands-on learning, its strong sense of community—not to mention its top-flight disc golf team—made 91����Ƶ more than just a place for him to continue his learning; it was the only place.

“91����Ƶ was the only school I applied to,” said Hedrick, who is majoring in digital media with a minor in marketing. “I didn’t look anywhere else.”

From a young age, Hedrick discovered a way to combine his love of video games with a passion for making videos. The 11-year-old would record himself playing Minecraft on his computer and upload the videos to YouTube. He still does that, but now on a much grander scale. Today, his channel boasts more than eight million subscribers (for reference, the YouTube channel for the Red Hot Chili Peppers has 8.1 million subscribers), which is part of the 15 million followers who watch his content across various platforms. 

Hedrick said his digital media classes at 91����Ƶ have taught him new skills, including how to shoot documentary films, record better audio, and use proper lighting techniques. Last semester, through a weekend workshop at 91����Ƶ, he became a certified commercial drone pilot. It’s something, he said, he’s wanted to do “for the longest time.”

“Being in a classroom, having a professor there to give me feedback, and having projects to hold me accountable has been so helpful,” he said.

Outside of the classroom, Hedrick found a sense of belonging on the disc golf course. He was a member of last year’s squad that competed at nationals and will return with the team to Rock Hill, South Carolina, this year as it competes at the 2025 College Disc Golf National Championship in April.

Hedrick, who was raised Mennonite, had considered taking a gap year after graduating from high school (Rockway Mennonite Collegiate) to devote more time to his video projects. It wasn’t until his parents, 91����Ƶ grads Tim and Janice ’94, suggested he take a look at their alma mater that he thought seriously about higher education. 91����Ƶ awarded him the President’s Scholarship, which has significantly helped bring his college costs down. It’s not quite to the same level as the cost of college in Canada, but it’s close enough.

“It definitely made my decision to come here much easier,” Hedrick said about his scholarships. (He is also a VACA scholarship recipient.)

Your generous support helps students like Hedrick pursue a quality college education without financial barriers. Join us for the 9th annual Lov91����Ƶ Giving Day and contribute to the scholarships that empower future 91����Ƶ students. Together, we can help write 91����Ƶ’s next chapter. 

“Begin with what you have,” she said, using “your little gift to change the world.”

Gbowee referred with pride in her to being a graduate of 91����Ƶ (she earned a in 2007) and to being the mother of a 2014 graduate, . “My home is 5,000 miles away from this campus, but this is a place that is very close to my heart.”

She said she chose 91����Ƶ for her eldest son because she wanted a university with “a whole lot of Jesus and lots of churches” in the vicinity, but “limited partying.”

Mensah, a major, was one of 351 students receiving bachelor’s degrees. Eighty graduate degrees were conferred, including the first graduates from 91����Ƶ’s two-year-old . Graduate certificates, associate degrees, and pastoral ministry degrees were also conferred.

Among the thousands of family members and friends in the audience were 10 relatives of , a well-known figure on campus for his basketball prowess. Less well-known is that he flunked out of 91����Ƶ after his freshman year.

Thorne appealed for re-admission, hoping to prove that he could be the first member of his extended family to finish college. The following years were not entirely smooth, including at least one brush with the law. But, in Thorne’s words, basketball coach “stayed in my ear to push me along and to be honest. He never gave up, and he’s been getting on my nerves for four years! But that’s what people need.”

An published in December 2013 showed that Thorne, in his fifth year at 91����Ƶ, was still struggling to complete his required coursework. Upon reading the article, Coach Dean posted this comment:

You need to really focus and finish strong! You can see the light at the end of the tunnel so keep grinding! Years from now, I need to be able to tell other recruits about ‘Andrew Thorne’…where he came from, what he had to overcome, the contributions you are making to society, and the successful life you are leading now. That’s where this story needs to go over the coming years. Get it done.

When Andrew’s name was called and he walked across the stage to receive his diploma, his father James waved the commencement program in the air and yelled, “It’s about time!”

Andrew’s 27-year-old brother (named James like his father) got leave from his work as a Norfolk-based petty officer in the U.S. Navy to be present. “I knew he was going to make it,” said his brother, though “it was not an easy ride for him.”

Their mother, Wanda, said she is sure “Drew” – as the family calls him – “is going to be successful – he’s proven that he can overcome a lot of obstacles in his life.”

Drew himself was all smiles as he hugged his family, but he was a man of few words in talking about his accomplishment. He simply said, “It means the world. It’s a fresh start. It’s a new beginning.”

More from commencement weekend:

Cords of Distinction ceremony��(��ǻ峦������)

Seminary commencement ceremony (podcast)

“” – WHSV/TV3 (video)

Nurses’ pinning ceremony (podcast)

Seminary Baccalaureate��(��ǻ峦������)

“It pretty much shows the spectrum of what 91����Ƶ offers in four years,” said Stauffer, who majored in digital media.

Stauffer created the with Adobe After Effects, a software program he learned to use in an intensive course taught by , professor of . The project got off to a promising start during Stauffer’s student internship with , during which he was encouraged to pursue his interest in animation that began in Holsopple’s class. After Stauffer finished his coursework in December, 2012, 91����Ƶ hired him to finish the job.

“I really enjoyed it, despite how long it took. It was a great, great process and I learned a lot,” said Stauffer, who spent so many hours working on the project this winter that he didn’t bother counting them.

Stauffer now works at a hotel in Harrisonburg while juggling a number of freelance design projects. Eventually, he hopes to freelance full-time, putting to use the audio, web design, photography, video and animation skills he developed as a student in 91����Ƶ’s visual and communication arts program.

The department is becoming one of 91����Ƶ’s most popular programs. Enrollment in the four majors offered through by the VaCA department (art, communication, digital media and photography) is more than 100, about double the number enrolled six years ago. One reason for the growth in popularity, Holsopple said, is the fact that very few small Christian universities offer majors in either photography or digital media. VaCA’s synthesis of fine arts and technology education also appeals to prospective students.

“We’re not just teaching you technology, and we’re not just teaching you fine arts,” Holsopple said. “[Students] are going to get a radically better education than if they’re off in one field or the other.”

As the program’s popularity has grown, so has its stature. Increasingly, Holsopple said, prospective students are considering 91����Ƶ’s VaCA program along with highly regarded art and design programs at places like the or the .

The university has also made substantial investment in keeping current with professional-level software and equipment to ensure that graduates take strong technical skills to the job market.

Stauffer expressed appreciation for the way VaCA faculty members help students identify and deepen specific interests – both technically and artistically. Holsopple also credited his colleagues on the VaCA faculty with creating a program that offers students a unique opportunity to develop critical-thinking skills, in addition to technical ones.

“[Our] students have something to say, instead of just being technically astute. I think that some schools are more concerned that they know how to use technology,” Holsopple said. “We are equally or more concerned about how they think about the world.”

Theater
As a  student, you’ll act, direct and design productions, exploring your gifts and getting hands-on experience while unpacking the faith and social justice aspects of your work. Cast and crew regularly gather with professors for “faith roundtables” to discuss implications of plays, community response and more.

Art
If you’re a , you’ll work with professor Cyndi Gusler, creator of , a runway show of innovative attire created entirely from cast-off materials. Highlighting sustainable styling and the choices we all make in life, the show .

Music
���ٳܻ��Գ������Ǵڳٱ����, like linking music with digital media for a career in sound design and movie scoring. Or you can weave music with peacebuilding to do conflict transformation through musical productions, or with nursing to do music therapy. 2012 graduate Charise Garber, now in med school,, music and biology, and explored how the mind is influenced by music.

Digital media and photography
 majors learn digital imaging, photography, videography, motion graphics, design, audio and more in a thriving program that is one of the most popular in our university. You can . Student and graduate work has appeared in such outlets as Time Magazine, The New York Times, and The Hill (serving the U.S. Congress).

Language and literature
Mastery of �����Ի� appreciation of literature contribute to success in almost every walk of life. Perhaps you’ll write original poetry and fiction for Phoenix, 91����Ƶ’s literary and visual arts journal, engage with notable authors visiting campus for the , do a writing internship at a non-profit, or hone your language skills to bring change in cross-cultural settings all over the world.

Find meaningful work in your field

98% of 91����Ƶ graduates are working, engaged in service or in further study within 12 months of graduation.��Nearly 90% are employed within their field of study.��Check out what two 91����Ƶ arts alumni are doing now:

• Katie Goins Frewens, an , earned a doctorate of musical arts and now teaches middle school music to urban teens. While a student, she was the piano rehearsal accompanist for the �����Ի� sang with .

• Matt Pearson combined a ���ɾ��ٳ��������Ի��������Դǰ��� to prepare for his goal of becoming an ordained Methodist minister. While a student, Matt acted and directed in the majority of MainStage productions, founded an improv troupe still going strong today, and interned at Second City Improv in Chicago. He went on to earn a divinity degree, and in 2012 became a youth pastor in California.

Contact us

Start the conversation by , scheduling a , talking with a professor or coach, or .��See what life is really like at our Christian university like no other!

Sosa, a rising senior and and major at 91����Ƶ, was selected out of 99 applicants to become the outdoor youth ambassador for the .

For the internship, Sosa will travel around the country for 10 weeks (June – August, 2012) with the Sierra Club’s Mission Outdoors program. He will learn different ways the Sierra Club is helping young people experience the outdoors, film these adventures, and host a video blog on youth in the outdoors.

The blog will be posted on the in June.

To be selected, Sosa submitted a 60-90 second video on why he loves the outdoors and saw voted into the top-10 via social media (Facebook, Twitter).

Founded in 1892, the Sierra Club is one of the oldest environmental organizations in the U.S. The club works to protect communities, wild places and the planet itself, according to its website.

To view Sosa’s winning video and for more information visit .

Soon they will benefit from new state-of-the-art digital media lab space, classrooms and galleries, thanks to a recently funded renovation to 91����Ƶ’s University Commons.

Associate professor Steven D. Johnson interacts with students in a digital media lab during class at 91����Ƶ. 91����Ƶ’s visual and communication arts major is one of the most popular programs offered. Students will soon benefit from updated state-of- the-art labs, part of a recently funded renovation of University Commons at 91����Ƶ. Photo by Matt Gillis

91����Ƶ’s board of trustees, alumni and friends have "stepped up" to provide $2.41 million in cash and pledges for Phase II of the University Commons, reports Kirk Shisler, vice president for advancement.

"It’s an amazing show of support in these uncertain economic times," he says.

Renovation highlights

The overall project includes renovation of the former gymnasium, built in 1957, into two upgraded theater performance spaces and classrooms. This includes a new Mainstage Theater as well as the Lee Eshleman Studio Theater, named in honor of the late artist and actor who was a 1986 graduate.

The popular student coffee house, Common Grounds, will also be expanded in the renovation.

More than 40 students were involved in the spring 2010 mainstage theater production of IOLANTHE by Gilbert & Sullivan and directed by Heidi Winters Vogel, associate professor of theater. 91����Ƶ’s theater department attracts students from across the university to participate in its high quality productions. Coupling updated facilities and technology to the energy of students and faculty will enhance learning and artistic possibilities at 91����Ƶ. Photo by Jon Styer

New studio art gallery

A new student art gallery will be named in honor of Margaret Martin Gehman, retired art faculty member.

Gehman taught and at 91����Ƶ from 1944 until her retirement in 1987. She serves regularly as a volunteer on campus and with other local organizations and has been a long-time strong financial supporter of the university.

She was the first recipient of the eponymous "91����Ƶ Philanthropist of the Year" award from the university in 2005.

Digital media labs key to program

"91����Ƶ offers an excellent digital media program taught by faculty who are experts in the field and is one of the few Christian colleges to offer a full photography major," notes , associate professor of visual and communication arts.

"With increased student demand for our programs, these upgraded labs will advance our goal of teaching students to communicate effectively, passionately and ethically in an increasingly diverse society."

The advanced media lab will be named in memory of former 91����Ƶ trustee and long-time supporter, Kenneth A. Longacre.

Theater core to campus life

91����Ƶ’s theater department attracts students from across the university to participate in its high quality productions. Students are regularly recognized at the Kennedy Center/American College Theater Festival for their achievements.

Coupling updated facilities and technology to the energy of students and faculty will enhance learning and artistic possibilities at 91����Ƶ.

"91����Ƶ theater faculty, staff and students have been making amazing art happen in primitive conditions," states Heidi Winters Vogel, theater department chair.

"I am so excited to see what we can do with performance and production spaces that are designed for theater. Watch for it!"

Upcoming theater events in renovated spaces

The first theatrical production in the renovated Main Stage Theater is scheduled for March 2011.

The Lee Eshleman Studio Theater, named in honor of the late artist and actor who was a 1986 graduate, will house key theater events that occur throughout the year like:

• Gonzo Theate, a student-run improv troupe that performs throughout the academic year
• student-directed plays like Anon(ymous)

More info

Renovations began in early May, with completion anticipated in November.

• More about the project
• Phone contact: (540) 432-4200

]]> /now/news/2010/emu-digital-media-grad-receives-design-prize/ Thu, 24 Jun 2010 04:00:00 +0000 http://www.emu.edu/blog/news/?p=2261

2010 91����Ƶ graduate Lindsey Grosh (Photo by Jim Bishop)

Lindsey J. Grosh, who graduated cum laude with a bachelor of arts degree in photography with minors in TESL and Spanish, is a regional winner in a nationwide contest, “Art for the Long Haul,” sponsored by Celadon Trucking Services.

She received a $500 prize for a design she submitted for the company’s 25th anniversary celebration.

Grosh got the pleasant news upon returning to her York, Pa., home following 91����Ƶ graduation ceremonies on May 2.

, headquartered in Indianapolis, Ind., ranks as one of North America’s largest truckload carriers with some 4,000 employees and operating roughly 3,300 tractors and 10,000 trailers.

Grosh’s winning entry, intended for display on the side of the company’s tractor trailers, was several photos of piglets from a black-and-white photography project on her family’s farm. She merged the photos into a panoramic design.

A portion of Lindsey Grosh’s winning design in the Celadon Trucking Services student art contest.

“I submitted my design in February, and hadn’t heard anything before school ended,” Grosh said. “I came home and opened a letter naming me as winner of the Northeast region of the U.S. I was quite surprised and pleased.

“I was really delighted with the photographs and got a lot of positive feedback [in class],” Grosh said.

“I think it’s neat that Celadon held this contest just for the sake of supporting the arts,” Grosh added. “The money came at a great time, as I am currently looking for work back home in Pennsylvania. I am hoping to use my photography skills, perhaps working in a studio or for a small company as their media/communication person.”

Internship provided real-world experience

Grosh interned in 91����Ƶ’s marketing and communications department throughout her senior year.

She’s credited with a number of photos used in marketing materials and on the university website’s many photo galleries of life on campus.

As a senior she was also one of three student video bloggers on the university website.

More info

• Visual and Communication Arts program
• Marketing and communications internships

]]> /now/news/video/a-day-in-the-life-of-an-emu-student-katie/ /now/news/video/a-day-in-the-life-of-an-emu-student-katie/#respond Thu, 22 Apr 2010 20:26:27 +0000 http://emu.edu/blog/video/?p=10 Katie, a second-year photography and digital media major with a journalism minor, walks though a typical day at 91����Ƶ.

Last year, Jerry Holsopple spent his days teaching in the visual and communication arts department at 91����Ƶ. These days, he’s still teaching – but he’s doing it at LCC International University in Lithuania.

Jerry Holsopple is captured on a photo expedition by one of his students at LCC International University.

Holsopple, 52, is in Lithuania for the duration of the 2009-2010 school year on a Fulbright scholarship, a grant that allows academics to engage in global intellectual pursuits. The application process is extremely competitive; Holsopple is one of just two scholars in Lithuania this year. He’s based at LCC International University, where he teaches photography, film and culture and religious art classes. He chose the country for his studies for a number of reasons.

"I chose Lithuania since I have brought 91����Ƶ students here for six-week experiences and really enjoy the students here," Holsopple said via e-mail. "I also wanted to study [religious] icon painting and connected on a previous trip with a Russian Orthodox priest who agreed to teach me if I came back for a year."

Holsopple first became fascinated with icons – broadly defined as religious works of art – on a trip to Bulgaria in the 1990s. "I visited several churches and a large gallery, which was where many were put in these countries during the Soviet era, and became fascinated by them," he said.

But rather than learning about the icon-painting process from a book, Holsopple wanted to try it firsthand. He studies with the priest who had previously agreed to teach him. The man "speaks primarily Russian and Lithuanian. I take LCC students along to translate," Holsopple said. "The conversations are about more than icons, [they’re] about life and the way we approach our work."

The duo have plenty of opportunity for conversation, because the icon-painting process is lengthy. It begins by roughing the surface of a quarter-sawn piece of wood and then applying coats of gelatin and water mixtures.

"After two or three layers of this, you soak a piece of linen cloth in the gelatin water and then smooth that onto the board," Holsopple said. Then, the board is coated with about a dozen more coats of gelatin water mixed with chalk; between coats, "you sand, gradually using finer and finer sandpaper," he said. This part of the process takes four to five weeks, he said, after which the board is ready for use.

For his icon, Holsopple chose the angel Michael, drawing inspiration from other paintings for his own etching. "I start with a very old one painted by Rublev, seeking to understand how he draped the clothing," he said. "Learning to do the eyes and the hands took the most time."

When Holsopple’s drawing was complete, he transferred it to the board using carbon paper and then scratched it into the surface with an awl. After that, he began painting and applying gold leaf. All that’s left is to finish painting and then apply a clear varnish to protect the image. The final step, Holsopple said, is to have the icon blessed.

"To be a full part of the tradition, the icon will need to be blessed by a priest," he said. He plans to bring the icon back to the U.S.

In addition to icon-painting and teaching, Holsopple finds time to explore Lithuania, camera in hand. Some highlights of his trip so far include taking a ferry across the Baltic Sea to Stockholm, buying wool socks and fresh fruit from "old ladies in little markets" and photographing a Lithuanian wedding. He’ll return to Harrisonburg at the end of June, a bittersweet conclusion to a rich year.

"I will miss Lithuania, especially the people, when I return, but it will also be good to be back with my colleagues at 91����Ƶ," he said. "I hope my year immersed in another tradition and type of work will allow me to evaluate in new ways my own tradition and work."

Dr. Jerry Holsopple

Dr. Holsopple will spend the 2009-2010 academic year as a Fulbright teacher at LCC International University in Klaipeda, Lithuania. While there, he will also devise an implementation plan for a communication concentration for the school.

Holsopple has led 91����Ƶ cross-cultural summer seminars to Lithuania in 2004, 2006 and 2008.

The 91����Ƶ professor expects to “build on relationships” made in prior visits while teaching courses in digital imaging, photography, popular culture and communication and related areas. He will also study Lithuanian religious images – “crosses and other symbols are seen everywhere,” he said – and wants to learn to paint icons in the Russian Orthodox tradition.

“Lithuania, and the other Baltic states, is a fabulous place to do photography, especially with old and new architecture intersecting with that of the Soviet era,” Holsopple said. “I envision writing a book on the cultural analysis of photography, helping persons better use this medium in learning more about another culture and people.”

Holsopple, who joined the 91����Ƶ faculty in 2000, completed a BS degree in Bible and camping, recreation and youth ministries from 91����Ƶ, received an MDiv degree from Mennonite Biblical Seminary, Elkhart, Ind., and earned a PhD from European Graduate School.

The Fulbright program, America’s flagship international educational program, is sponsored by the United States Department of State, Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs. The program was established in 1946 under legislation introduced by the late Senator J. William Fulbright of Arkansas.

Since its inception, some 286,500 people – 108,160 Americans have studied, taught or done research abroad while 178,340 students, scholars and teachers from other countries have engaged in similar activities in the U.S. The program operates in more than 155 countries worldwide.

Fulbright award recipients are selected on the basis of academic or professional achievement as well as demonstrated leadership in their fields.

Fulbright award recipients are selected on the basis of academic or professional achievement as well as demonstrated leadership in their fields.

It is the second year in a row for an faculty member to be selected for the Fulbright honor. Mark Metzler Sawin, associate professor of history at 91����Ƶ, spent the 2008-09 year teaching courses on “constructing identity: teaching and the cultural work of history and literature” at the university in the capital city of Zagreb, Croatia.

Approving several new academic programs and taking actions to strengthen the future of the university was the primary focus of the Mar. 24-25 meeting of the 91����Ƶ .

The school’s governing body heard a summary report with recommendations that followed nearly two-years of comprehensive work by a "prioritization" steering committee.

Prioritization report

The 13-member group, chaired by University President , led a process of evaluating all university programs to ensure that they fit the university’s mission to serve the Mennonite Church and larger world.

Dr. Swartzendruber gave a Powerpoint presentation on the project. The goal of the campuswide effort, he said, is "to experience healthy organizational change that will make 91����Ƶ a stronger,even higher quality program in the days ahead.

"This has been a transparent process all along, with findings and committee proceedings and recommendations posted on the web site for everyone to read," the president said.

The board took action to approve the prioritization report, with many of the recommendations to be carried out in a gradual, "evolutionary" fashion.

Merging departments

Among the changes, the board approved a recommendation to merge the art and communication departments to form the , effective fall 2006.

Marie S. Morris, undergraduate academic dean, pointed to the advantages to be realized by merging the two departments, noting that "the faculty are young and passionate about their discipline, with a positive effect on students.

"It is important to model a faith-based collaboration in the context of a liberal arts and Anabaptist faith context where students are equipped to engage in creative activity in a variety of media forms," Dr. Morris said. "Students will be enriched by the mixing in classes of students who are working in traditional studio arts and those working in digital applications. The critical analysis, combined with working side-by-side, will push each student to a greater level of excellence," she added.

The board also approved recommendations to add a major in digital media and a major in photography, effective fall 2006. Both programs are in response to student interest and will provide increased collaboration of students and faculty, improved advising and mentoring and more efficient budgeting and instructional space use.

New MBA track

Also approved was a new health services administration track within the program, starting fall of 2006. Allon Lefever, MBA director, said the courses will be offered on-line and will take two-and-a-half years to complete the certificate at one course a semester.

President Loren Swartzendruber gives a summary of the campuswide "prioritization" process to the 91����Ƶ board of trustees.
Photo by Jim Bishop

"The courses will emphasize case studies and ethical considerations and will prepare potential managers of nursing homes, retirement communities and other health care systems," Lefever said.

The trustees also approved recommendations to discontinue several academic programs with low enrollment, effective fall 2006 – the German major and minor, the economic development major and minor and the marketing minor.

"We weren’t certain when this process started where we’d end up, and in fact, we’re far from done at this stage," Swartzendruber said. "This huge task will mean little if we don’t continue working on it on an annual basis."

Other business

The trustees also:

–Approved a preliminary operating budget for the 2006-07 fiscal year of $25.5 million, a 3.6% increase. The new budget includes $ 5.5 million in student scholarships, a one percent wage increase for faculty, staff and retirees and $1.4 million toward capital projects;

–Approved five-year contracts for 10 undergraduate faculty members and one seminary professor and promotions in rank, effective fall of 2006, for seven undergraduate faculty;

–Heard that revenues for 2006-06 are at $944,520, about $130,000 above the same time last year, with 17 contributions of $50,000 or more received so far the current fiscal year. The board also was told that first-year student applications and deposits are "substantially ahead of 2005."

It’s an uncommon look at common creatures.

A display of some 30 black and white and color photographs by , assistant professor of art and communication at 91����Ƶ, seeks to "visually reimagine" domesticated and familiar animals.

The exhibit will open Monday, Mar. 13 with a reception for the artist 7:30-9 p.m. in the on third floor of 91����Ƶ’s Hartzler Library.

"I want viewers of my work, in the words of English essayist G.K. Chesterton, ‘to experience these creatures for the first time as magical beasts wandering out of ancient dawn,’" Johnson said. "If we truly see a horse for the first time, we may also enter the mystery of what it means for humans to relate to animals. We may even start to recover the wonder of what it means to be namers and symbol users, the enigma of what it means to be human."

Johnson, who joined the 91����Ƶ faculty in 2005, teaches photography and digital media courses. He served most recently as assistant professor of art and director of digital media and photography at Houghton (N.Y.) College.

Johnson earned a B.A. in art with a photography concentration from Houghton College and an M.F.A. in computer art with an emphasis in multimedia and interactive design from Savannah College of Art & Design.

In his teaching, he "cares deeply about the intersection of narrative and the visual world" and seeks to "encourage students to stretch their faith, intellect, and creativity in a challenging and stimulating interdisciplinary environment that provides a safe place for trying out new ideas."

Johnson has exhibited his work in New York, Georgia and China and has numerous awards and publications to his credit.

The exhibit will be open for viewing daily during regular library hours through Apr. 6. Admission to the gallery is free.

Gallery hours:
Monday-Thursday 7:45 a.m. – 11 p.m.
Friday 7:45 a.m. – 6 p.m.
Saturday 10:00 a.m. – 5 p.m.
Sunday 2:00 p.m. – 11 p.m.

Like many other technologies, the printing industry was an evolving species when Mike Reno got involved in the business in 1976.

Back then, Reno serviced office equipment for A.B. Dick Company, including "Hildegard," an automated offset copier that occupied a large room on the north end of second floor of the old Eastern Mennonite College (now University) administration building. The behemoth piece of equipment was so unusual at the time that the local newspaper wrote a feature article extolling its/her reproductive capabilities.

Reno recalls when 91����Ƶ purchased an A.B. Dick 901 copier capable of cranking out an amazing five letter- or legal-size copies a minute.

In the late 1980s, Reno started his own business of selling and servicing office equipment, with 91����Ƶ among his regular clients. He sold that business to his former employer, A.B. Dick, in 1990, worked for other printers and eventually bought his own print shop in Waynesboro.

In April, 2003, Reno became a contract printer for printing and copying services on the 91����Ƶ campus, meaning he owns the business and contracts his services to clients, with the university taking first priority. The shop, at the north end of the physical plant facilities, provides full-service printing and binding to 91����Ƶ persons and departments and a number of off-campus clients.

"The university is strongly behind this operation, providing utilities, computer, phone and other support," Reno said. "In return, I’m able to give special pricing to 91����Ƶ for its print needs, large and small jobs alike."

It’s now a fully digital shop that includes a digital platemaker. This means that Reno can receive a print piece like the faculty-staff monthly newsletter, "Campus Bulletin," in PDF format on his computer, make a plate in about three minutes and once on the press, 500 copies of the publication roll off the press in roughly 20 minutes.

He recently added a full-color printer capable of producing anything from business cards to 13" x 19" posters. The and office submit the biggest jobs on a regular basis, although the annual program is another major print piece.

Reno does most production work in the evening, freeing him during the day for consultations with clients and preparing jobs for printing.

Even though he feels the "press" of the moment, he welcomes queries from 91����Ƶ faculty and staff anytime at 432-4543 or mike.reno.@emu.edu.

"I never thought I’d enjoy standing next to a printing press, but I find myself enjoying it – it’s a challenge," Reno said.